Pancreatitis

When the pancreas becomes inflamed, you may have pancreatitis. Insulin is produced in the pancreas to help control your blood sugar levels. There are two types of pancreatitis with their own causes.

Acute Pancreatitis

80% of acute pancreatitis cases are caused by gallstones and alcohol consumption. The gallstones can get stuck in the bile duct and stop the juices produced in the pancreas from getting to the other parts of the body.

Alcohol is thought to cause the condition. However, it is not known exactly how this happens, other than it normally occurs after bouts of heavy drinking.

Chronic Pancreatitis

80% of the chronic pancreatitis cases are caused by excessive alcohol drinking over a long time. A majority of people with this condition have been drinking heavily for ten years or more. Men over the age of forty are the most at risk.

In very rare cases, chronic pancreatitis can be hereditary. In such cases, the exact cause is still being researched.

Symptoms of Pancreatitis

With acute pancreatitis, the main symptom is acute abdominal pain, just behind the ribs and spreading through to the back. The pain is worse when you lie down and feels better when you lean forward. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and fever.

Chronic pancreatitis has the same symptoms as acute pancreatitis. You are likely to also experience weight loss due to the long periods when your pancreas is not working properly. Weight loss is mainly because of pain when eating, constant vomiting as well as food not well digested.

Treatment of Pancreatitis

Acute Pancreatitis

Most cases need hospitalization. This is mainly because the pain can be severe. Painkillers are used to relieve the pain. To avoid aggravating the pain, most people are not to eat food or drink. Feeding in the hospital is normally through a drip.

In very serious cases, you might need to be moved to the intensive care unit. This may be due to increased chances of kidney complications as well as breathing problems.

Chronic Pancreatitis

Treatment for chronic pancreatitis includes:

• Giving up smoking- This will increase your chances of avoiding pancreatic cancer,
• Painkillers to control the pain,
• Giving up alcohol – You doctor will advice you to stop drinking completely,
• Enzyme replacement medication – this is to replace the enzymes the pancreas is unable to produce, and
• Insulin injections especially if diabetes develops as a result

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